The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-07-06
A KENTUCKY TRAGEDY.
The elimination Of a Sanguin-
ary Faction Feud.
Craig Tolliver and Three Of His
Followers Killed.

A Kentucky feud of long standing which
hss cost many lives is ended at last. "A
Louisville dispatch gives the following his
tory of the terrible series of tragedies and
their origin:
In Kentucky's lawless mountain county OF
Rowan was this morning enacted the hnal
chapter in the bloodieSt mountain vendetta
known in the history of the State. -Four
desperate men forfeited their lives while re-
sisting the mandates of law After the
destruction of thousands of dollars worth or
property, and the less of twenty-one lives,
Rowan County can now return to peace and
prosperity To-day's work ends the succession
of tragedies that have been enacted in that
county since the beginning of the Martin
Tolliver feud not quite two years ago, the re-
suit of which up to date has been, besides the
killing of twenty-one men, the manning
for life of at least score or more of persons,
the destruction of all social relations and or
nearly the entire business interests OF the
county, and state of lawlessneSs and terror
ism that have driven good men, with ther
families, away from home and friends to seek
new homes in other parts of the country.
The feud out of which to-day's tragedy
grows began at the August election in 1854,
when Cook Humphrey for Sheriff defeated
Sam Gooden by majority of IL. A
drunken fight occurred, in which John
Martin was badly hurt. He claimed that
Floyd Toiliver and John Day beat him with
clubs. Shooting followed in which Solomon
Bradley, bystander, was killed, Tolliver
said hy Martin. As a result of this fight,
John Martin, "Ben," his father, "Will' and
Dave" his brothers, and Cook Humphrey,
who had lived with the Martins when
boy and gone to school at Morehead from
their farm, were ranged on one side; Marion,
Craig and Floyd Tolliver, brothers, and
"Bud," Jay and Wiley Tolliver,. cousins,
living in Elliott County, on the other
SIDE In December, John Martin met Floyd
Tolliver in a whisky shop at Morehead and
killed him. To escape lynching Martin was
taken TO Winchester Jail. Six days later q
forged order was presented to the lailer and
Martin in irons put on the train to return to
Morehead for trial. At Farmers, an inter
vening station. q masked mob boarded the
train and killed Martin.
The Tollivers then began the work Of exter-
minating the Martins and their friends, prom
inent among them being the Cook Humphreys
party, who sided with the Martins. Humphreys
was chased into the bushes, escaping, but his
friend, Ben Rayburn, was killed and notice
posted on his body forbidding burial Sym
pathiZers with the opposing faction were
ambushed and shot down without mercy,
until the blood of at least ten victims cried
out for vengeance. The militia were
called in, but the Tolliver gang were pro-
tected by court in which Judge and jury
were friends of the TolliverS, and the court
proceedings were farce. Perjured witnesses
and a partial Judge and jury wiped away
effectually each crime and turned the mon
sters out to commit fresh iniquities.
Sheriff Hogg, presumably acting under in
struct:ons from the State authorities-for he
recently visited Frankfort to see Gov. Knott
has been for about week quietly organ
izing a very large posse of determined men in
the upper part of Rowan county and the ad-
Joining counties for the purpose of arresting
Craig Tolliver, or all the party that was impll-
weeks ago. Craig Tolliver had received in
timations of this, but they were 50 vague
that he supposed the party would be regula-
tors instead of Sheriff's posse. Toliver
and his party, consisting Of about ten
men, were quite vigilant, and went
heavily armed to meet every east
ward bound train at the depot to search for
suspicious characters, and to see that no one
got off at Morehead but those whom they de-
sired. Sheriff Hogg equip rped his large party
with Winchester rifles, and the ammunition
while he was organizing the posse.
Sheriff Hoggs band of men, numbering
200, appeared Suddenly at Morehead about
eight o'clock this morning. A Gordon was
first established around the entire
town in the brush where the men
could not be seen The Sheriff then en-
tered the town at the head of about 100 we'll
armed men. Craig Tolliver and his ten fol-
lowers Immediately retreated to the Cottage
Hotel, which they had previously barricaded
in such manner as to make it quite for
midable fortress
Sheriff tHogg then notified Tolliver that he
had warrants for the arrest of all the men
implicated in the killing of the Logan boys,
and asked that they all submit peaceably to
arrest under the law. Tolliver's reply was
that neither he nor his men would be arrested,
and that hundred men could not take
them. His party then opened fire upon the
Sherif's posse. Quite brisk rattle OF mus
kerry ensued, and the fighting was kept up
for about two hours. The only casualty for
a time was flesh wound received by one Of
the Sheriff's posse The attacking party,
however, were gradually drawing their lines
closer aronnd Tolliver's fortification, and the
besieged party, finding things growing too
warm, finally concluded to make bold rush
for liberty, cut their way through the
Sheriffs lines, and take to the adjacent brush,
which once reached would afford them q
secure escape.
As they made the rush they were met by
volley. which killed Craig Tolliver. Bud Toll
liver. Jay Tolliver, and Hiram Cooper. They
were all Shot through the heart and died in
stantly. Craig Tolliver seems to have been
general target, as he was SO thor
oughly riddled as to be scarcely rec
ognizable. The other men of the gang
got through safely, but as they ap-
preached the brush they were met by vol
ley from the outside Gordon, line OF men
stationed ten or twelve feet apart, all
around the town. This volley wounded
Cate Tolliver, a twelve-year-old boy,
and three others, all of whom were
captured except Cate Tolliver, who
craawlei into the brush and escaped. The
other three also escaped, but one was cap
tured afterward. This brought the battle
to an end, and the slain were viewed by the
people and the passengers from the train.
The four men killed to-day were the lead
ing spirits in the vendetta.